Meet the eight Player of the Tournament nominees for the Men’s T20 World Cup 2024
A look at the eight players in the running to win the Player of the Tournament at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024.
Fazalhaq Farooqi (Afghanistan)
Matches 8, Wickets 17, Average 9.41, BBI 5/9
Fazalhaq Farooqi led Afghanistan’s charge in the group stages with his scintillating new ball display, picking 12 wickets from his first three games, including a career-best 5/9 versus Uganda and 4/17 in his side’s historic win over New Zealand.
Prodigious movement with the ball under lights produced great results for Farooqi, and the 23-year-old looks set to serve Afghanistan well in the coming years.
Jasprit Bumrah (India)
Matches 7, Wickets 13, Average 8.15, BBI 3/7
As if making up for the fact that he missed the last edition of the tournament due to an injury, Jasprit Bumrah has shown peak form in the tournament.
This was most visible against Pakistan in New York, where the irrepressible pacer bamboozled the opposition in each of his short spells, and guided India to a six-run win with his 3/14.
Anrich Nortje (South Africa)
Matches 8, Wickets 13, Average 13.46, BBI 4/7
Anrich Nortje’s return to international cricket in recent months has been spectacular. The speedster made the most of spicy wickets in USA, kickstarting his campaign with a 4/7 against Sri Lanka.
He’s also been effective in the West Indies, bowling a brilliant final over to secure a close win against England and getting 2/7 in the semi-final against Afghanistan.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz (Afghanistan)
Matches 8, Runs 281, Strike-rate 124.33, Highest score 80, Dismissals 6
Along with Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmanullah Gurbaz has converted Afghanistan from a bowling-centric outfit to one that can compete with the bat.
He began with a solid 76 against Uganda and continued churning important knocks in the tournament. These include match-winning efforts against New Zealand (80) and Australia (60).
Tabraiz Shamsi (South Africa)
Matches 4, 11 wickets, Average 9.27, BBI 4/19
The fact that he’s the only spinner in the list speaks volumes of Tabraiz Shamsi’s impact in the tournament. Despite being a part of a pace-heavy lineup and featuring in just four games, Shamsi has made an impact in each appearance.
He began with a stunning 4/19 against Nepal that helped the Proteas secure a close win. In his last two appearances, Shamsi has played a crucial role by picking back-to-back three-fors.
Rohit Sharma (India)
Matches 7, Runs 248, Strike Rate 155.97, Highest score 92
India skipper Rohit Sharma walked the talk of a positive approach, scoring runs at a brisk pace in all his appearances.
Despite failing in the middle stages of the tournament, Rohit didn’t change his style and helped provide his side with brilliant starts towards the business end. His best knock came against Australia where he scored 92 from just 41 balls, hitting seven fours and eight sixes, to set up a match-winning total for India.
Arshdeep Singh (India)
Matches 7, Wickets 15, Average 13, BBI 4/9
Arshdeep Singh has fulfilled the tough task of taking the new ball for India with aplomb. Barring the England semi-final, he had a wicket in every game.
Though the left-arm pacer was slightly expensive against Pakistan (1/31), he followed it up with a stunning 4/9 against the USA to restrict the North American side to a modest total that was chased down by India.
Quinton de Kock (South Africa)
Matches 8, Runs 204, Strike-rate 143.66, Highest score 74, Dismissals 7
The third opener and second wicket-keeper in this list, southpaw Quinton de Kock is the only South African with more than 150 runs in the run-up to the final.
His best knocks came in the form of his two fifties against the USA (74) and England (65), which helped South Africa seal a spot in the semi-finals.